Remission in psoriatic arthritis-where are we now?

Abstract

Advances in treatments and treatment strategies for PsA have led to many patients responding well to management of their disease, and targeting remission as a treatment goal is now a possibility. Treat to target is a strategy aimed at maximizing benefit, irrespective of the type of medication used, by monitoring disease activity and using it to guide therapy. The measurement of response to treatment has been the subject of wide discussions among experts for some time, and many instruments exist. Comparisons of the different measures and their different strengths and weaknesses is ongoing. The impact of modern imaging techniques on monitoring disease progression is also evolving, and advanced techniques using both MRI and US have the potential to improve management of PsA through identification of risk factors for poor prognosis as well as accurate assessment of inflammation and damage, including subclinical disease. Increased understanding of the pathways that drive the pathogenesis of PsA will be key to identifying specific biomarkers for the disease and developing effective treatment strategies. Targets for response, considerations for use of a treat to target strategy in PsA, different imaging techniques and serological aspects of remission are all discussed in this review, and areas for further research are identified.